Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a 2019 game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It is set 5 years after Episode III Revenge of the Sith and follows the story of a young Jedi named Cal Kestis (voiced by Cameron Monaghan) as he is discovered by Inquisitors while attempting to reconnect with the Force and complete his training. The game is played from a third-person perspective and as the game goes on players develop their Force powers and lightsaber abilities. I will be reviewing the game as an audience member with basic gaming experience. This review will contain spoilers, and remember, the next game comes out April 2023!
As mentioned before, this is an EA game that was directed by Stig Asmussen to fit in with the Star Wars universe. The gameplay within it was inspired heavily by Dark Souls, which reflects in the difficulty of enemies and their respawning, which I’ll discuss in-depth later. The score was composed by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Choir. The game is canon now, but when it came out it was a separate story. The game introduced some new characters, such as Cal Kestis, BD-1 (a fan favorite), Cere (Debra Wilson), Greez Dritus (Daniel Roebuck), and Nightsister Merrin (Tin Ivlev), and was left open for the next game to continue the story. While the game did well, there were some legitimate criticisms from players that I hope have been changed for the next game.
The first of which is the map layout. The map of the game is extremely difficult to understand, with different levels not being highlighted unless you navigate the map and there is no way to set way points to go after. The map served little to now purpose for the game’s progress, aside from getting a trophy for completing the map. There are five planets to explore: Dogano, Zeffo, Kashyyyk, Dathomir, and Ilum, that you travel to in the Stinger Mantis starship. I cannot say that any map was easier than another, but the Kashyyyk map was the most difficult to understand and complete. The second issue with the game is the respawning of enemies. If you clear an area of enemies, leave the section, and return, everyone you just killed is back and you have to fight them all over again. I found this incredibly tedious and inconvenient, it also forces players to utilize Stim Canisters unnecessarily to heal should they get damaged in a re-fight with enemies. You can also heal in meditation areas, but they are not easily found.
The plot of the game is fairly compelling, following Cal as he comes to peace with being a Jedi, fighting enemies he wasn’t aware he had, and seeking the names of Force-Sensitive children to train. If you choose to follow the main story and avoid side-quests, the story moves fairly quickly. However, for sake of strength it is important to complete everything that pops-up along the way even though it slows the story progression down. There are key moments that add depth to the story where we see memories from Cal when he was a young Padawan training and then when Order 66 was executed. As Cal re-experiences these moments, his strength in the Force grows and he is able in the end to make the right decision and destroy the box of names with the Force-Sensitive children. I am eager to see where his journey goes in the next game and if they manage to connect him into the movies and shows.
As for the characters, I felt they were all well-developed except for Cere. Her story was not as compelling and her emotional reactions to conversations and situations were either too extreme/illogical or lacking in response. I did not feel any pity for her struggles and in the end she wasn’t really redeemed, they just brushed off everything. I have doubts about her character in the next game and hope there is more focus on Cal and less on her. Once character I would love to see more of is Nightsister Merrin. She was developed well and the hints of sweetness and interest in Cal created investment in her character. Of course Cal was developed well and his relationship with BD-1 was a strong friendship.
A few other fun or interesting things about the game! There is a comic that is set as a prequel that ties into the story, following Cere and her master Eno Cordova, titled Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple. The online game Apex Legends added a BD-1 inspired outfit for players to utilize (for a price I’m sure). There are a few Funko Pops available from the game that can be found at various stores, I actually have the Merrin Pop from GameStop. You can now purchase Cal’s lightsaber at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. And, my favorite, there is a BD-1 Lego Set that I’ve actually built! It’s super cool.
Overall, the game is a lot of fun for Star Wars fans and did a good job setting up the story. I can only hope that they listened to feedback before developing the next game and Cal’s story remains strong. Perhaps one day we shall see him in something live-action.
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Writing Until Ragnarok 